[C] Bath Time

Aeker knelt down on the tiled floor of the bath, slowly filling up the tub, his sleeves rolled up to his elbow as he tested the temperature of the water.

Not too hot, not too cold.

He smiled softly as it continued to fill before standing and drying his hand on his pants walking back into the bedroom.

"Darragh! Bath time, hurry up."

He called out, looking for the boy, Aodh had scampered off to see Coilean, they had only been back in the country for a short while and it about time they caught up with one another.

Darragh had been sat on Aeker's bed, drawing a colourful scribble in a page of his sketchbook that he would swear was his father in his Wolf form.

But, as soon as he heard Aeker get up, he dropped the orange crayon
he had been using and crawled under the bed.

The boy held his breath as he curled up tightly.

No!

He knew what mommy wanted and he didn't want it.

Bath time was evil.

Aeker smirked softly, he could tell where the boy was, he had been living with his human aunt for so long that he forgot that Aeker could sense him.

"Oh dear, Darragh has disappeared, I swear he was on the bed a minute ago."

He walked over to the cupboard, pretending to search around it, then the wardrobe.

"Where oh where could he be?"

He muttered, loud enough for the boy to hear before turning to Maccon.

"Mac, I can't find my son anywhere, do you know where went?"

The Vampire asked, looking over at the dog curled up in her bed.

Maccon looked up when Aeker turned to her.

She snorted and laid back down again. She knew the horrors of bath time. Good on the tiny human for hiding from it. She'd side with the tiny human on this matter.

Darragh couldn't help the giggle that sounded as he watched Aeker walk around.

He could just see the Vampire's shoes as they tapped against the wooden floor.

Mommy couldn't find him!

"You're no help."

He muttered, staring dully at the dog and shaking his head.

"Remind me not to save you when he decides to tug on your tail."
He added with a grin as he looked down at her.

"Such a shame I can't find him...Since Daddy is gone I thought after bath time we could go down into the kitchen for a treat, I hid them so Daddy couldn't gobble them all up."

Getting Aodh to do as he was told was easy enough when there were sweets up for offer, his son wasn't much different.

"But since he has disappeared I suppose I will have them all to myself."

Darragh's lips pushed into a pout.

Mommy was going to eat all his treats? That wasn't fair. Mommy was mean. He'd tell daddy on him when he got home.

The hybrid boy stayed silent, crossing his arms grumpily as she stayed curled up under the bed.

If mommy was going to eat all his treats then he wouldn't go for bath time.

As backwards as that logic was, it made perfect sense to the boy curled up under the bed.

Aeker pursed his lips slightly, that hadn't worked like he had hoped it would.

Darragh definitely didn't like taking a bath, he would have to find a way to fix that, buy him some bath toys or something, anything to make this a little easier.

Silently he cursed Aodh for running off before bath time was over, though to be honest chances were that the Lycan would only make this harder.

"Well I suppose I will go look for him out in the yard then..."

He muttered, walking over to the bedroom door, opening it up, walking on the spot to make it sound as though he had walked out before pulling it shut and leaning against it, he knew Darragh wouldn't be able to see him standing back here from his place under the bed.

Darragh stayed still for a few long moments, listening intently.

When he was satisfied that Aeker wasn't there, he crawled out from under the bed.

A loud gasp sounded from the boy when his eyes landed on Aeker.

"That's cheating!"

He scrambled up onto the bed and then over it, bolting as far away from Aeker as the room would allow.

Mommy had cheated.

Aeker smirked as he looked over at the boy, laughing as he bolting over the bed.

"It's not cheating, it was just...being sneaky."

He replied as he walked across the room, following after the boy.

"If you have your bath you can choose what he do tonight, I'll even let you stay awake past bed time."

He added, truth be told, ever since they came back to Italy he liked having Darragh up over his bedtime since he couldn't leave this room during the day.

"Cheating," he insisted, mock glaring at his mommy.

Aeker had cheated and no one could convince Darragh otherwise.

The boy shook his head firmly, inching across the wall as Aeker strolled towards him. Aeker was forcing him into a corner.

"No bath time."

He hated bath time. No bath time.

"Daddy has to have bath time, so do I, that means you do too."

He replied, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down at the boy.

As much as he tried Aeker couldn't keep the little grin off his face, the way Darragh glared at him was adorable.

He knelt down on the ground, making himself closer to the boy's eye level.

"Come on Darragh, I have to sleep during the day now, remember? I want to play together for a little while, but you have to have a bath first."

The boy shook his head, pouting again.

"No bath time. Go without."

He didn't need bath time. He could go without it. Baths weren't important. They were just a form of torture that kids were subjected to. Bath time was not needed.

"No bath. More play. I can play more if I don't have a bath."

He looked up at his mommy with wide, pleading green eyes.

No bath.

The boy shook his head, pouting again.

"No bath time. Go without."

He didn't need bath time. He could go without it. Baths weren't important. They were just a form of torture that kids were subjected to. Bath time was not needed.

"No bath. More play. I can play more if I don't have a bath."

He looked up at his mommy with wide, pleading green eyes.

No bath.

How was he meant to say no to those eyes, they were the same one Aodh looked at him with, except Darragh didn't have a Lycan's silver gaze.

"I want you to make me a promise, if we go out and play now, when we get back, you have to have a bath before bed time."

He could put it off for now so that they could play and get messy, but he would have a bath before bed, Aeker wouldn't let him sleep if he was covered in dirt.

The boy shook his head again; his ginger hair flying out around his head and shoulders as he did so.

"No bath. Ever."

He didn't ever need baths. Baths weren't necessary.

He pressed back against the wall as he continued to stare up at the man with wide eyes.

"No bath."

"No bath then no play."

He replied, shaking his head, standing up and padding back into the bathroom to turn off the water.

Darragh couldn't just refuse to have a bath, he needed to be cleaned sooner or later, he wouldn't have his son running around covered in mud and dirt, more than that being filthy wasn't good for his health, even if he had Lycan blood.

The boy's face screwed up as Aeker stood up and walked away.

His little body shook in a little sob as he crumbled against the wall.

He stared at the Vampire with glassy green eyes and large tears rolled down his chubby freckled cheeks.

"No bath!" he cried out. "Play. No bath!"

He didn't want a bath! Baths were evil. He wanted to play.

Play time. Not bath time.

The Vampire's heart sank as he heard that sob, he hated to see Darragh upset, more so when it brought the boy to tears, he so rarely cried.

He ran back into the room swiftly and headed straight for the boy crumpled up in the corner, scooping him into his arms and hugging him tightly.

"Shh Darragh, don't cry, it's alright."

He muttered softly, running his hand through the boy's hair.

Aeker was a gentle soul, he couldn't help it, being stern with the boy was just too difficult.

Darragh clung to Aeker as he scooped him up.

He nuzzled against him, inhaling the scent that was purely Aeker. That scent was getting familiar and he was associating it with the safeness that came with having a mommy.

Aeker was mommy and his scent calmed him.

His sobs slowly subsided as he cuddled closer.

"No bath."

"No bath."

He confirmed as he ran his fingers over the boy's cheeks, wiping away his tears.

"As long as I don't see anymore tears."

He muttered, pressing a kiss to the boy's head as he hugged him tightly.

Aeker hated bath time, he didn't want to do this any more, he couldn't stand seeing the boy upset like this, normally he was such a mild mannered little boy.

"I love you, Darragh."

He whispered to the boy, nuzzling his face in his bright orange locks.

His lips curled up into a watery little smile.

No bath time.

Mommy had said so. No bath time.

"Tears all gone." His eyes were still watery but he wasn't shedding tears any more and Aeker had wiped away the tear tracks on his cheeks. Darragh had had a classic case of 'child's tears.' They hadn't lasted long at all.

"Love you, too, mommy."

"That's my boy."

He replied, smiling down at him now that he was no longer crying. He was dreading Aodh coming home now, he could only imagine what he would say when Darragh declared that 'mommy said I don't need a bath' he was going to be in for it.

He sighed inwardly and shook it off, he would deal with it, at least their son was happy.

"Come then, up we go."

Aeker stood up, resting Darragh on his hip as he carried him.

"Lets go play outside for a while then, Maccon, get your ball."

He called over to her, clicking his tongue as he nodded toward the door, they could all go out and play.

Darragh nuzzled closer to Aeker, arms wrapping around the man's neck.

They got to play.

Play time, play time~

The boy grinned up at Aeker as Maccon rushed to get her ball, bouncing on her paws at the door waiting for the Vampire.

"Play time, mommy."

Aeker couldn't help but smile brightly as the boy wrapped his arms around his neck.

Darragh had taken to calling his Mommy and treating him as he would an actual parent.

It really did warm his heart, at first he had worried that he would just be a replacement for the boy's real mother, but that didn't seem to be the case at all.

He opened the door to let the dog out as they exited the room and headed for the back yard.

"Play time, play time."

He sang, bouncing the boy on his hip as he chuckled.

Darragh had never had a mother to replace.

Anya was a great aunt, but that was all she had ever been. She had never tried to become his mother. He'd always been without a mother and Aeker had swooped in and played mother so perfectly that Darragh was happy to call him mommy.

The boy giggled when Aeker bounced him on his hip.

"Play time, play time," he sang along with Aeker, hugging the Vampire close.

He couldn't wait for play time.